[IC] Dawnbringers

[El'the Ellie]

Saetiri bristles at the sudden closeness. At the same time, she pulls a series of potions from her hat and hands them to the other three. "We shouldn't be separated for long, but just in case."

Spoiler: Saetiri's Present

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6 Maximized potions of Cure Light Wounds (Restore 9 HP)
1 Potion of Saving Grace
24 Goodberries
1 Maximized potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (Restores 19 HP)

At her command, the broom hovers a few feet in the air, and she settles back more comfortably against Magnus. Two of her tails swish and tap herself and Magnus: spreading from where they contact the colors of their body and clothes and the broom quickly fade away until they are invisible.

"Be safe."

She flies the two of them out among the enemy, aiming for the shuttered window.

[hannahbbug3]

The two members of the Brigade glide silently forward and into the gatehouse. There are people occupying the second floor, several of whom look up as the shutters open - but you all are silent enough that one remarks "Strange wind," before moving over to close the shutters once again.

[BramsesII]

Acacia

Acacia accepts the potions and berries and hands them out equally to Valien and Cordelia. The two remaining potions she hands to Valien. "Here. You'll need them more than I will."

As decisive as she is on the matter of the potions, on the matter of who'll go with Saetiri, Acacia is torn. On the one hand, Magnus is definitely the best choice to go with her in case things go south. On the other hand, this would be the perfect opportunity to spring a trap. The Brenin decides to voice her misgivings about Magnus joining Saetiri, but the pair are already invisible. Acacia shrugs.

"Alright, I suppose we're doing this. Valien, I trust you're guarding Cordelia closely?" she asks as she sets up a snare trap behind them, in case guards show up from that direction. She keeps a close eye on her surroudings all the while doing that.

Spoiler: OOC

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Snare trap (DC 16 reflex save)
Perception check: (1d20+14)[31]

[Athaleon]

Valien just nodded as he accepted the potions, and waited tensely.

[El'the Ellie]

Hmm... Pulling on Magnus's arm to help him keep track of where she is moving, Saetiri steps quietly to the staircase to see what the situation looks like down there.

Spoiler

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Another move silently if needed: (1d20+23)[30]

[paradox26]

Magnus felt the tug at his arm, and followed very carefully. He considered moving at a relative crawling speed, to ensure he remained silent. But he also knew the spell would only last a few minutes, so he couldn't tarry. He walked along as silently as he knew how, allowing Sae to lead the way. He held his blade in his other hand, so he could strike first if they were rumbled.

Spoiler:

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Stealth roll for moving silently. I assume the +20 for invisibility doesn't count for this, but if it does, add that to the result. (1d20)[11]

[hannahbbug3]

The clank of Magnus' armor echoes through the room, and the guards immediately go on alert. "Who's there?" one calls, drawing a falchion and looking about the room as the others arm themselves, as well.

[paradox26]

Magnus bit back a curse as his armour clanked. He froze completely, weapon raised so that if they started to search the room he would be able to strike first. He had hoped they would make it farther into the gatehouse before getting caught. He wondered if another of the Dawn Brigade would have been a more silent choice to accompany Sae, but then decided that such thoughts were pointless right now. He prepared to fight.

[BramsesII]

Acacia

Acacia looks around nervously, then turns to Valien and Cordelia. "The guards are antsy. That's not good. Keep your eyes peeled." She breathes out. "I hope Magnus and Sae stay out of sight."

[El'the Ellie]

Saetiri curses silently and freezes in place, ready to put these guards to sleep as well. For the time being, however, she stays still. Perhaps they will write it off as sounds from downstairs...

Spoiler

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I'm going to wait and see what the guards do next. Did Sae get a good look at the downstairs area by any chance?

[hannahbbug3]

Spoiler: OOC

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From the glance Sae got downstairs, there are about six guards down there. They went on alert when they heard the other guards upstairs do so, but they didn't seem to hear what caused the alarm in the first place.

One of the guards immediately starts to sweep the room, spear outstretched before him and swinging blindly, trying to make contact with any unseen intruders. He soon enough steps into Magnus' reach.

[paradox26]

Magnus closed his eyes for a moment in silent prayer, wishing that he had been able to remain undetected and not have to slaughter poor embattled soldiers. But he felt he had no choice. There was little chance he would be able to avoid the swinging polearm, so he should take advantage of the element of surprise, and to attack as quickly as possible. Besides, he realised, even if they had made it downstairs and opened the gate, he would have ended up having to fight these men anyway, since they would try to force the gate closed again. So he had no choice at all, other than now or later. He took note of where Sae stood, then he released her arm and took the sword in both hands. He then took a couple of lightning fast swings, noticing after the first that he had become visible, but he continued to swing anyway.

Spoiler:

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Full attack, one on each man present if both can be hit, or focused on the nearest if the other is out of range.

Attack 1: (1d20+13)[22]
Damage 1: (3d6+4)[14]

Attack 2: (1d20+8)[15]
Damage 2: (3d6+4)[11]

[hannahbbug3]

Magnus' sword cleaves into the soldier right along where his shoulder meets his neck - the first hit causes blood to gush everyone, and the second dispatches his head entirely. It lands on the floor with a thunk, followed quickly by the dropping of its previous owner's corpse.

[El'the Ellie]

"Damn." Saetiri curses as soon as she sees Magnus appear swinging. Still, she could hardly blame the man: there was little chance of them not being found out anyway. She wastes no time in helping to dispatch the guards. Raising a glowing blue hand, she intones the same spell as before to put those that still stood to sleep.

"Tae e Undara!" It's sung like a brief chord of a song. If any astute listeners had heard the spell before this, the two invocations would sound like natural chord progressions.

Spoiler

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Casting Deep slumber on as many of the conscious guards that I can.

Will save DC 19, as before.

[hannahbbug3]

Four of the soldiers immediately drop towards the floor after the spell is cast - including one wearing the same sort of higher-rank markings as the Orc from before, slumping to unconsciousness halfway up the stairs. Two of the soldiers on the second floor are still up, and three are pushing their way up the stairs. With little hesitation, the two that were already on the second floor swing at Magnus, and while one from the lower floor doesn't quite make it upstairs, the other two enter the fray as well - one with a charge towards Sae, and the other leveling a bow at Magnus.

Spoiler: OOC

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Attack On Magnus - (1d20+4)[24]
Damage on Magnus - (1d8+2)[9]

Attack On Magnus - (1d20+4)[8]
Damage on Magnus - (1d8+2)[3]

Ranged Attack On Magnus - (1d20+6)[24]
Damage on Magnus - (1d8)[2]

Charge On Sae - (1d20+6)[14]
Damage on Magnus - (1d8+2)[5]

EDIT: Oops, that attack on Sae should definitely be dealing damage to Sae and not Magnus.

11 damage on Magnus and 5 on Sae. Crit did not confirm.

[paradox26]

Magnus moved forward, in between the two men who had attacked him, both of whom were the easiest for him to strike at. He lunged forward, striking out at both men, his blade shimmering with frost and noticeably lowering the temperature even as he carried it. He hoped that Sae would be able to take care of herself while he fought, since he was not yet in a position to help her. If he could kill these two quickly, he might be able to take a position at the top of the stairs and then fight the approaching enemies one at a time.

Spoiler:

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Full attack on the two men who attacked him. Uses the Lunge feat to increase his range by five feet, at a cost of -2 to his AC for the round.

Attack 1: (1d20+13)[25]
Damage 1: (3d6+4)[12]

Move five feet tot he other guard, should that still be necessary.

Attack 2: (1d20+8)[18]
Damage 2: (3d6+4)[19]

[hannahbbug3]

Neither of the guards suffering the brunt of Magnus' attack drop, but both are now heavily wounded.

[El'the Ellie]

Saetiri winces seeing the bloodshed start in earnest, and cries out briefly in pain as the guard's blade cuts into her arm. She backs away and continues singing her spell of deep slumber, trying to focus first on those that Magnus didn't strike.

"Sah taeir ha!"

Spoiler

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Casting deep slumber again on as many of the guards as I can. Same DC of 19 as always.

[hannahbbug3]

Another four of the guards fall to the ground - leaving only the most heavily damaged staring down Magnus and Saetiri. He looks at the two warriors, takes a step back and throws down his weapon. "Don't kill me!" he pleads. "I swear, I'll keep quiet!" He looks abortively towards the window, still closed, then back to his opponents.

[paradox26]

Magnus checks his final strike, allowing the man to live, just as his father would have preferred him to do, in his role of god of soldiers. He hated to see people killed for no reason, in spite of his skill at doing so. He ignored the wounded man, other than growling at him to lay on the floor, and immediately headed for the ropes for the gate. He started to slash at them with his razor edged blade, knowing that the sleep enchantment couldn't last for too much longer, and wanting to get the gates opened before the enemies woke up.

[hannahbbug3]

The solider holds still, eyes wide and mouth closed as Magnus opens the gate. With a great creaking sound, the steel and stone doors begin to slowly swing open, and there is a roar from the other side as the Army of Dawn begins their charge into the keep.

[El'the Ellie]

Sae gives the soldier a bit of a sad look and shrugs. "I am sorry you have to go through this. This war will be over soon, and you are on the losing side. Flee: find as many as you can and tell them that defeat is inevitable, and that running or forfeiting is your only hope."

As she speaks, one of her tails twitch and her eyes glow an icy blue. Let him spread the word of defeat, and make the army's job that much easier. With luck the Army of Dawn will be able to take a few more hostages and save a few more lives.

She hops on her broomstick and waits for Magnus. "Well done. Let's return to the others and finish this."

Spoiler

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Suggestion, from Magical Tail. I'm not sure if this counts as a second or third level spell, but most non-specialized spell lists seem to have it on 3rd level. Will save DC 20, and if this is a 'reasonable' or 'very reasonable' suggestion, he gets a -2 on his save.

[hannahbbug3]

The man gives the kitsune a shaky nod, before stumbling down the stairs and fleeing the building. He runs through the courtyard, dodging around fights here and there before you all loose sight of him in the crowd.

"It seems we've done our part in getting the attack on its way," Cordelia says. Her voice is neutral - while pleased about the advance, she grimaces a little at the sight of blood starting to flow freely in the courtyard, now. The attention of all of Riasom's soldiers is on the advancing army, and as of yet, the Dawn Brigade's presence has still not been pinpointed.

[paradox26]

"Let us return to the sewers, my friends. Then we can enter the Keep itself, while the army holds the troops on the walls," Magnus said as he and Sae returned to the Brigade. He then started to lead them back down beneath the ground, where they could strike with surprise. He felt pleased that the attack was progressing so well so far, and with a grand total of only a couple of men dead so far, at their hands.

[Athaleon]

"All right," Valien whispered. It was plain that he wanted to join the fight at the gates but he knew where he was needed. "Where is our next destination? I don't suppose the sewer tunnels are climbable right up into the throne room."

[paradox26]

"The throne room is unlikely to lead into sewers directly, but we should be able to find our way close to that area, and we can fight our way in from there. Most of the troops should be on the walls by now," Magnus said to Valien. He was trying to recall the layout of the sewers, which was made harder by the fact that he had never actually been in them before, but only heard tales of them. He had seen the sewer entrances from inside the Keep, but didn't know exactly how those related to the sewer itself. In spite of his uncertainty, he tried to find the best way in, listening carefully at the entrances they encountered in hopes of hearing commanding voices, or even hopefully Riasom.

[BramsesII]

Acacia

"Very well. Let's move quickly, before the spider has a chance to get away. Which way to get into the keep?" Acacia looks at Magnus questioningly before turning around and getting ready to join Magnus at the front to keep an eye out for traps.

Spoiler: OOC

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Checking for traps all the way; perception: (1d20+14)[18]
Stealth roll for good measure: (1d20+15)[27]

[hannahbbug3]

The group makes its way easily enough back into the sewers, Magnus leading the way. There aren't any traps down here, and the going is fairly easy, if you knew exactly where you were going. But it is when Magnus pauses at one of the sewer entrances when the group hears a loud shriek from the battlefield above. There is a bellowing roar, an unnatural hiss, and ungodly screaming - which Magnus recognizes as the very distinctive sound of a breath attack from a black dragon.

[paradox26]

Magnus went pale at the sound of the shriek. "That is a black dragon," he exclaimed, his voice distraught. He knew just how much damage such a dragon could do in battle. "It is almost certainly a black named Theris. He used to be my mount when I served Riasom. I should have known he would be here somewhere. It would not be like him to miss a battle so crucial to the war."

He paused for a moment, thinking. Then he said reluctantly, "We must continue onward. There is little we can do against Theris from down here, and by the time we get back to the courtyard it will be too late to help the poor wretches. They will have to fight him on their own. We have a singular ability to win this war, if we can defeat Riasom now. Let us continue." He increased his speed to try to get to Riasom more quickly.

[El'the Ellie]

Saetiri breaths a sigh of relief as they rejoin the group and continue moving. As they head onward, she places a white and blue glowing hand on Magnus's injured shoulder. With a slight tickling sensation her magic begins to close their wounds.

"That was well done."

To the rest of the group, she says quietly. "As we reach Riasom's more formidable underlings, I think I'm going to get much less mileage out of my enchantments on them. I'll probably be focusing on keeping you all healthy in the fights to come."

Saetiri pales in trepidation as well when they hear Theris, wreaking havoc outside. But she nods and agrees with Magnus. "Agreed. The fact that he's here and not with the Spider means our plan is working. Now is no time to second guess."